2019 Progress, Hope, & Happiness Collection Launch - Year 3!

Oh my friendly makers - it is the beginning of June, and for the third year in a row, I have curated, coordinated, and/or otherwise wrangled a collection of summer makes, and it went live last Friday!  For a viewing of the collection's look book, just click on it below:

I cannot tell you how thrilled I am with this year's designs, and the yarny colorways created and/or picked especially for the collection really make the designs stand out. As usual, we have our make-a-long home on Ravelry and people are starting to figure out what they would like to make, and what yarns they will be using.

I have two designs in the collection this year, and they are meant to help anyone get out there for a quick adventure or two. I happily present the Rings of Saturn, a really well-sized bag great for short weekend jaunts (it's small yet so roomy); and Weekend Adventure - a tee with a whole lot of pink attitude that is easily customized to fit a maker's personal style.

There are also a good number of shawls, some head wear, a super tank (in pink!), and a cowl that I really want to make (along with several other designs). So much to make; so little crafty maker time. Grrrr.

Also, there are a few new things this year: if you are on Instagram, do follow the MAL's hashtag #happinessmakealong2019 - we are currently running an #artadventure challenge that, if craftily played, can find both you and a tagged friend winning prizes, including a grand prize (and this year's other big new thing): an e-book of the entire collection of 12 designs! That's right, the collection has an e-book for sale this year exclusively on Swatch Warriors (retailing for $19.95, with most of that going directly to all nine participating designers), but only for a limited time (basically, through the end of July, which is when the maker event ends).

Given the ups and downs in the yarn publishing industry so far this year, it is a testament to my fellow indie designers and dyers that we have just not given up and are continuing to forge our own designing path. I cannot tell you how pleased and proud I am to be among the company of these talented artists. I hope you will check out the look book, buy a pattern or two, or even gift an e-book to someone just because. Then, get your yarn and making tools all lined up and come join us as we each find our own yarny renewal.

Happy summer, everyone! 

Arlington National Cemetary, Arlington, VA,
snapped approximately 15 years ago.

I have been super busy and have neglected my blog for the last month or so - I do apologize not only to you, dear readers, but also to myself, because I genuinely love my blog. Look for me to rectify the neglect in the coming weeks.

However, I am taking a moment to recognize it is the Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S. - the holiday weekend that marks the unofficial start of summer, but also when we take a minute to recognize those armed service members, across centuries, who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty. 

I snapped the photo at the left because I loved the composition - I did not know at the time that Memorial Day was conceived after the U.S. Civil War as a way to dress up the graves of military dead with flowers (and thus the reason it falls in May, when so many things are in bloom).

If you would like to take a moment sometime over the weekend to pay your own tribute, here is a listing, by state, of national veterans' cemeteries. Additionally, many jurisdictions also have local veterans' cemeteries which might be of some interest. If you do, please don't forget to bring the best blooms you can find.

  

April is Upon Us

I cannot yet believe we are already experiencing April - to where did the first three months of 2019 disappear?

Of course, design things are busy here at chez Voie de Vie. They always are! Initially, I started a very laid-back maker a-long in my Ravelry group - the Well Adorned Neck. As you might guess, we will be focusing on any of my designs that fit around or otherwise highlight the neck. I have put together a bundle of my knit and crochet designs that can be worked up during the a-long, which runs through May 11th, and yes, there will be a few prizes awarded at the end. People are focusing on cowls and necklaces at the moment, although scarves, shawls and some garments are included in the bundle.


I decided to host this maker event because I have a few new designs that have recently been published and, of course, they focus on the neck! The first one, released at the end of March, adorns the cover of Knit Picks' latest crochet shawl collection Color Crush. Three Stitch Samba is rated intermediate (there are increases and picked up stitches along a portion of the edging), but an adventurous beginner could definitely give it a go, since only three stitches are utilized throughout the entire shawl. Each of the six wraps in the Color Crush collection are relatively easy to complete, yet pack a big color and style punch. The book is almost 50 pages, and includes schematics as well as (for select patterns), charts for all those visual learners out there.

Knit Picks has also generously donated two prizes for me to give away: the Hawthorne Fingering three-skein color cocktail seen on the cover, along with a copy of the print book, which will be an awesome for one lucky winner who completes a project in the maker event and posts a photo of it in the appropriate thread.

I also have an additional copy of the book + a set of 8 of Knit Picks' radiant wood crochet hooks, which prize I am currently taking comment entries for in my Instagram feed:

View this post on Instagram

Alright, my crafty friends - it is give-away time here at chez #voiedevie! Since I do not do this all that much, you know it is a big deal. 😄 The prize to be awarded: shown in the photo - a Color Crush Crochet Wraps book + a set of 8 Knit Picks Radiant Wood crochet hooks, from E/3.5 mm - K/6.5mm. This is a super prize for any crochet lover, as well as any #knitter who has ever written "This pattern makes me want to learn to crochet!" All 6 wraps in the almost-50 page book are easy enough for most adventurous beginners, and lots of schematics and a chart or two are included for visual learners. The only thing one needs to add is yarn, and you are good to go! * * * So, here are the giveaway deets: 1. Open to anyone living on Earth (all other inter-planetary residents - so sorry 😁) 2. Public accounts only, please. 3. Please follow my account. 4. Leave a comment and tell me why you love crochet or which shawl from the Color Crush collection you want to make. Feel free to tag as many friends as you would like, including any knitters who have expressed a previous desire to learn to crochet. 5. One entry per person, please. 6. Comments accepted between now and the end of the day (PDST) Monday, April 15th. 7. Winner will be chosen via random number generator, based on number of unique, first comments, and will be notified via dm. 8. Instagram, including their employees and any relevant, affiliated persons, are not involved in any way and do not endorse and/or otherwise have any responsibility for this giveaway. Ok my crafty friends, get your #crochet on!!! #crochetinspiration #crochetersaroundtheworld #knitpicks #shawls #crochetersofthepnw

A post shared by Voie de Vie (@denisevoiedevie) on Apr 7, 2019 at 1:07pm PDT

If you want to enter to win this most excellent prize, you have until the end of the day next Monday, April 15th, to hop on over, follow my feed (if you don't already), and leave a comment. Of course, if you do win it, you should feel free to add yarn and join us over in my Ravelry group and make the Three Stitch Samba. See what I did there? 

Of course, I also provided the second sneaked chapter from my upcoming second self-published book coming out this September. The chapter contains the Casual Lace Topper, and I am super pleased in how this design turned out. Check it out to the right - isn't that just the best little cardigan for transitional weather? Worked in just three pieces and some tunisian crochet 3 x 2 ribbing along the edges, this scoop neck piece is meant to be thrown in a bag and worn over most anything. It's worked up in baa ram ewe Titus, which comes in a flock of beautiful colorways. Of course, only those who purchased the pre-publication package have received this chapter (along with the one I sneaked last month). There is still time to get your very own pre-publication package, which will get you the first two chapters plus one more that will drop May 1st.

That's enough for now, my crafty maker friends - I told you I've been busy.